Watene-Zelezniak excels

IF YOU want to know how good Dallin Watene-Zelezniak is, there's a video of his 90-metre try in the under-18s State of Origin last year floating around somewhere on Facebook.

Spoiler alert: he's very good.

Representing NSW, he catches a kick on his own 10-metre line, produces a big right-foot step to break the line, accelerates through the gap and beats the fullback with another right-foot step to score.

He has all the attributes of a good footballer: speed, agility and an uncoachable knack to break the line.

On Saturday he displayed all the talents on debut against the Canberra Raiders.

The St Clair junior was in last year's Holden Cup premiership-winning team and spent the first three weeks in the NSW Cup.

"I was just stoked, I couldn't believe it," Watene-Zelezniak said. "The whole week I was walking around smiling everywhere. My family were proud. I had a few fly over from New Zealand: my brother, my cousins. I'm just happy I did it for my family,"

"I didn't know at first that a winger could get tired.When I was running out there, the last 12 minutes I started cramping. When they kicked it right at the end I was hobbling along trying to get there."

The Panthers play South Sydney on Friday night at Sportingbet Stadium.